Support is requested for the continuation of a series of Summer Training Courses in the Biology of Aging to be held each summer from 2003 through 2007. The Course will be directed from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and the conference site will rotate among three host institutions: The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the University of Michigan, and the Buck Institute. Similar courses have been held with great success every summer since 1993. The Course is designed to provide an intensive exposure to modern research in experimental biogerontology for a group of 20 researchers who are in the formative stages of their careers. Each trainee is expected to have had at least two years of productive laboratory experience in some aspect of cell or molecular biology beyond the doctoral degree (MD, PhD, or DVM). Each day during the five-day program will include three activities: (a) two "overview" lectures designed to introduce trainees to the main results and central concerns of a major area of gerontology; (b) a research development workshop at which each trainee will have an opportunity to present his or her own research ideas for critique; and (c) a research seminar presented by a senior faculty member of the host or nearby institution. This Training Course will provide younger researchers with a solid foundation in modern experimental gerontology and provide a useful perspective to the more senior scientists who are developing new programs in aging research. Three scientists will serve as the Course Steering Committee and will participate in the course on a regular basis: Arlan Richardson, the Course Director, will discuss caloric restriction, gene expression, and transgenic/knockout animal models. Richard Miller will provide overviews of the genetic aspects of aging, immune function, and animal models for aging. Judith Campisi will discuss clonal senescence and aging/cancer interactions. Eight other researchers will serve as Continuing Faculty, attending the course approximately every other year. These include Steven Austad (comparative and evolutionary aspects of aging), Gordon Lithgow (genetics of longevity and invertebrate aging), James Nelson (endocrine aging and caloric restriction), Phyllis Wise (brain aging and the regulation of menopause), Marc Tatar (comparative and evolutionary aspects of aging and invertebrate aging), Julie Andersen (neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's Disease), Peter Hornsby (clonal senescence and cell therapy), and Rudy Tanzi (neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease). [unreadable] [unreadable]